OpenAI Ties Up with Chat App Kakao, Expands Stargate Talks
Sam Altman Meets South Korean Industry Leaders to Discuss AI Partnerships
Seoul: OpenAI, the global leader in artificial intelligence, announced its latest AI-powered initiatives for the South Korean market, including an official partnership with Kakao, the country’s leading messaging and AI-driven technology company.
During his visit to South Korea, OpenAI CEOSam Altman held discussions with Samsung Electronics, SoftBank, and major industry players in Seoul. One of the key topics of discussion was Stargate AI, OpenAI’s data center initiative in the United States, where SoftBank is a major investor.
AI Expansion in South Korea with Kakao
Kakao, best known for its dominant messaging platform KakaoTalk, is also a leader in AI-driven services, including Kakao i and Kakao Brain. OpenAI’s partnership with Kakao is expected to deepen the integration of AI into the South Korean digital ecosystem, enhancing chatbot interactions, AI-powered content generation, and enterprise AI solutions.
We are particularly interested in AI messaging and applications that enhance digital interactions, Altman said at a press conference with Kakao CEO Shinara Chung.
This collaboration will likely position OpenAI as a key AI provider in South Korea, a market known for its high digital adoption rates and strong technological infrastructure.
Stargate AI: South Korea’s Role in the Next-Gen Data Center
Altman also emphasized that South Korean companies have shown strong interest in OpenAI’s Stargate AI project, a U.S.-based supercomputing data center backed by OpenAI and leading global investors.
The initiative aims to build high-capacity AI computing power to support advanced machine learning models. Given South Korea’s semiconductor expertise and energy resources, the country could play a crucial role in the AI supply chain for OpenAI.
Altman acknowledged South Korea’s strengths, saying:
South Korea’s semiconductor and energy industries make it an important market for OpenAI, with growing demand for AI products.
Industry experts believe that Samsung and SK Hynix, two of the world’s largest memory chip manufacturers, could explore collaborations with OpenAI to develop high-performance AI chips optimized for deep learning applications.
Global AI Competition Heats Up
Altman’s tour across Asia comes at a time when AI competition is intensifying. China has been heavily investing in AI infrastructure, prompting companies like OpenAI to strengthen partnerships with U.S. allies in South Korea, Japan, and India.
This move also aligns with the U.S. government’s push to expand AI research collaborations with countries that have advanced semiconductor capabilities. With growing demand for AI computing power, OpenAI’s latest expansion efforts signal a strategic push into global markets.